The Opening Night showcase includes headliner, Popa Chubby at the Colony Café. This man is a blues force. Popa Chubby is formidable in the studio, but on stage, his presence is magnified. His performance showcase what the big man does best – meat and potatoes blues and rock and roll. His chops can’t be questioned. The energy of his band is mesmerizing. Opening for Popa will be blues-rock band, The House and Boxcar Joe Laing. . (7pm - midnight)

On Saturday, The Festivities move to the Black Bear Restaurant (corner of Rte 28/Maverick Rd) where Blues & Brews will take place. This will include a full barbeque Pig Roast with all the fixings. Performances will include Jim Weider Band, Jeremiah Lockwood, Johnny Volume, The legendary Kane Brothers Blues Band, Professor Louie and the Cromatix and The Ernie Williams Band, the Five Points Band, and surprise guests. (noon - midnight)

Also music at Violette with Jeremiah Lockwood and Robin the Hammer. (1pm - 4pm)

On Sunday, the music continues @ Black Bear Restaurant with performances by Uncle Funk, Scott Holt, Bennett Harris Blues Band featuring Frank Christian, the Scissormen, Pamela Betti and the Bluebloods, Hello Dali, Generous Thief, Johnnie Winter, and Eddie Turner. (noon - midnight)

Also music at the Colony Cafe with Murali Coryell, Bruce Katz, Boxcar Joe Laing, and Bones and the Mudlarks, and surprise guests. (noon to 6pm)

Here is a brief on some of the performers:

Jim Weider Band: Jim is a master of classic telecaster guitar, he is renowned for his rock and blues-based signature sound. He is among a select group of musicians with an endorsement from Fender and, for the past three decades, he's earned enormous respect from fellow musicians and music fans throughout the world.

Bruce Katz: He occupies a unique space where blues, jazz, rock, soul, and the many aspects of Americana all collide into a style of original instrumental music all his own. He is as comfortable playing "soul-jazz" on the Hammond organ as he is playing 1930's style stride piano or the meanest slow blues.

Jeremiah Lockwood: Having spent over a decade playing with NYC blues legend Carolina Slim, Jeremiah has it.  He's probably always "had it", but definitely learned to express it in that "natchl blues" style that Carolina has spent 40+ years crafting. Jeremiah has opened for Levon Helm and Robert Cray. His blues vocals are haunting and totally authentic, and his guitar playing?    Forget it.  Mostly we sat there asking each other, "How'd he do that?"

Johnny Volume: This high voltage band mixes a heady cocktail of real Chicago blues, Stax/Volt R&B, Motown soul, and leering, dangerous, train-driving rock 'n' roll. The resulting sound can only be described as rock 'n' roll - like you like it.

The Kane Brothers Blues Band: They are together again after 30 years. They recall the energy and excitement of the early Butterfield Blues Band. No joke. Off-the-meter energy levels results in a rock feel, but this is by no means a rock show – it is blues-approved! These guys have opened for Muddy Waters, James Cotton and Willy Dixon. This is the real deal.

Professor Louie and the Cromatix: The Crowmatix came into existence in the context of preparing tunes for "The Band" for them to consider recording on their CDs which Hurwitz was producing. "We would get together at Levon Helm's studio two or three times a week so the Crowmatix helped with pre-production for a lot of the groups I was producing.
"'The Band" would be on the road a lot, and I would have to be working out songs and arrangements. If I heard a song I liked, I would use the Crowmatix to record it and play it for Levon Helm, Garth Hudson or Rick Danko.

The Ernie Williams Band: From a 13 year old boy playing a beat-up six-string on a Virginia Plantation to the 79 year old dynamo playing for adoring fans at such places as Buddy Guy's Legends, Ernie has lived the blues. Ernie is an extraordinarily talented musician, has paid his dues and has won the right to take his place among the legends of the blues.  His voice - "the voice" - is instantly recognized and personifies "the blues".

Bennett Harris Blues Band: Get ready for an exciting performance of rousing, soulful, and rollicking country Delta blues and ragtime music,  when Bennett Harris takes the stage with his acoustic guitars and harmonica!
Scissormen: "Both on record and in live performance, Ted Drozdowski is a guitarist of spellbinding invention and intelligence. His slide playing shears the skin off your bones, and he can unleash roaring gales of sound. But lyricism and musicality lie at the heart of even his wildest moments. I have never listened to him and not been transported to a strange, beautiful place I'd never been before."

Pamela Betti and the Bluebloods: Pamela Betti is an incredible performer. As a professional singer for the last 15 years, Pamela has worked with some some of the biggest acts in the business like Kim Wilson from the The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Dave Mason, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Popa Chubby, Val Thomas from Little Buster and the Soul Brothers, Richie Cannata and Liberty Devito from Billy Joel's Band and Todd Wolfe.

The Five Points Band: Started in 1997 by Robin the Hammer (Guitar, vocals) and JBird Bowman (Percussion, vocals). Their music has been called everything from Heavy Bayou to Roots-Metal, or Voodoo Rock...echoes of Ellington, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson and even Heavy Metal can be heard, but its a rocknroll sound, deeply rooted in traditional music.

Eddie Turner: "If anybody ever went down to the Crossroads and let the Devil tune his guitar it was probably Eddie Turner. Man, you get chills every time the guy strikes a note! And the expressions he makes while he's talking out each lick leave one convinced he's channelling other-worldly ancestral demi-gods." He recently won the Blues Music Award for “Best New Artist”.

Scott Holt: Once Scott discovered the Blues, his path was set. “After I heard this music, I knew that it was all I wanted to try and play. I wanted to be Buddy Guy!” Since he couldn’t be Buddy Guy, Scott would have to settle for playing with the legendary Blues man. In early 1989, Buddy called Scott and asked him to join his band. Scott would be in the Buddy Guy Band for the next 10 years. After 10 years, it was time to try and go out on his own. “I formed a band with a drummer named Tom Larson and Leo Lyons from the band Ten Years After.

Tickets are available for individual shows or as All Access Passes. Tickets are available online via www.WoodstockBluesFestival.com,
https://tix.extremetix.com/tix/SilverStream/Pages/pgIndex.html?siteID=1083,
Or Call 845-532-8000. For performer interviews, please ask for Frank Mann.